The First Time
by theporchlife
Summary: Ronon and Jennifer. A bed. The morning after. Can be read as a standalone or as a sequel to A Good Heart.


Jennifer opened her eyes slowly, the early morning light streaming softly through her blinds. She stretched, back arching and arms thrust over her head before lowering them once more. She was happy, warm and just a little bit sore.

It was the fact that she sore, and the reason behind it, which started her giggles. She couldn't quite believe it - she'd probably just had the best sex of her life, with Ronon Dex, and they hadn't even gone on a real date. It broke all of her rules and, for once in her life, she couldn't care less. She'd had sex with Ronon and the idea was amazing enough to make her cover her face in glee and let out a small, excited shriek.

"You okay?"

Jennifer let out a startled yelp before sitting up, sheet clutched firmly to her naked chest, and looking at the very naked man lying beside her. The very naked man she hadn't been expecting to see this morning in her bed. The very naked man she'd slept with in a spontaneous and very un-Jennifer moment of madness. Amazing sex. Sex she'd just been squealing over like a 16 year old. Squealing in front of Ronon. Naked Ronon.

Her face burned and she just nodded in response to his mumbled question before flopping back onto her pillow. His movement, the turn of his body and an arm snaking across her body to pull him firmly against him, surprised her.

It wasn't that she wasn't happy to have him here, she was. It was just that she'd been expecting him to slip out in the night to avoid gossip and that she'd see him later in the day. He hadn't left, however, and now, if the feel of his head snuggled next to hers and the sound of his steady breathing were any indication, it seemed that he didn't have any immediate plans to leave.

She lay there for a moment, just enjoying how comfortable and right it felt, before the all too familiar desire to question everything emerged. She tried to stop it, to tamp it down, but, even with her determination to make things work with Ronon and her complete trust in him, she was still Jennifer Keller and she had questions.

"Ronon?" she asked quietly, her free hand lightly stroking the arm which was wrapped around her. "Ronon?" She couldn't believe she was doing this but she couldn't stop the whispers from coming out. "What are you doing here?"

"Trying to sleep Jen. Just close your eyes and stop thinking about it," he mumbled with a light kiss to her jawbone.

"Okay." She closed her eyes and settled closer to him, turning onto her side and slipping an arm against his chest so they lay face to face. "But shouldn't you go, I mean, people will talk if they see you leave here. Not that I want you to go."

"So I won't go," he mumbled again, eyes still closed as he pulled her closer to him.

"But people will know that, you know…"

"Jen, everyone on base probably already knows we're together now."

"What? How? And 'together now'? Like literally 'now'? Or are you being figurative?"

"Relax, please. There were two Marines who were hanging around in the hall when we went in here and about half the base saw us walking from the mess hall."

"Oh. Okay."

"Okay," Ronon said with a kiss to her nose. "Just sleep, we've still got time."

Jennifer closed her eyes for a moment before cracking them open to study the man lying beside her. Strong, handsome, still and kind - Ronon Dex was practically perfect and he was hers. Kind of. It didn't matter - he was here, with her, and he didn't seem to mind that everyone knew they were together now.

Wait. He hadn't answered that part of her question. He'd just told her people knew and then went back to sleep. What sort of answer was that? Was he embarrassed? Or was this fairly typical for him, bedding willing women on and off base? Oh god, he was probably sleeping with tons of women, the man was gorgeous, and here she was squealing about it like an idiot.

"Ronon?" she asked with a sharp slap to his chest. She was wide awake now and filled with questions and she'd be damned if he was just going to sleep there all snuggly-like. "Ronon."

"What Jen?" he asked with a slight groan as he rubbed his hand across his now open eyes. She sat up and looked down at him, trying not to be swayed by the slow blink of his sleep blurry eyes or the feel of his hand as it ran up and down her back. She would not be swayed by how tired and, she couldn't believe she was thinking it, by how cute he looked.

"You didn't answer my question."

"What question"

"About what you meant by 'together now.'"

She waited as he paused and watched him as he seemed to consider his words. She could feel her heart speed up, and she steeled herself for the rejection or, at least, the cold hard truth. She was Jennifer Keller. He was Ronon Dex. Why had she ever thought that things would work out between them? That he would want her?

"I'm not very good at this; it's been a long time."

"Try. Please." She couldn't bear to look at him but she could feel his eyes burning into her back as he came up with an answer.

"It's been a long time, not since Sateda, that I've felt this way about someone."

"Oh."

"I didn't want to mess things up, go too fast for you. There hasn't been anyone in a long time and I don't know the Earth rules…"

Jennifer couldn't help herself. She laughed. It wasn't a delicate chuckle or an embarrassed giggle; it was a full-on, let it all out, tears in her eyes laugh. She clutched her stomach and doubled over, dared a peek at Ronon's shocked face, and laughed even harder. It was absurd, really, the idea that he was worried they were going too fast, the idea of Ronon being nervous or afraid, the idea of Ronon caring what other people thought.

The last idea sobered her up quickly - he didn't care what other people though, he cared about what she, Jennifer Keller, thought. The idea was enormous, the importance Ronon placed on her filled her heart until she thought it would burst, and she turned to look at him.

"Thank you," she said, a wide smile breaking across her face as she lay down beside him once more. She curled into him, one leg draped over his and her hand skating across his chest. She knew he was confused, knew it from his hesitant touch to her hair and his shaky breath. "Thank you for choosing me. I'll keep you safe, I promise."

"I promise too," he said and she could feel his whole body relax with the words. "Now go to sleep. Please."

"Oh, and Ronon?"

"What Jen?"

"We're 'together' together now, just to be clear. I mean, right?"

"Right. Go to sleep Jen."

"Right."


End file.
